Larry LaPrise, an American, holds a copyright for the song "Hokey Pokey." He was born in 1949 and died in 1996.
The song was written in the late 1940s to be played in ski clubs in Sun Valley, Idaho. It was first recorded by the group the Ram Trio in 1949, and it was awarded a copyright on the song in 1950.
British songwriter Jimmy Kennedy claims that he wrote a song called the Cokey-Cokey during World War II. LaPrise was sued for copyright infringement and settled out of court.
The dance became so popular that by the mid-1950s it became known by children everywhere.
World War II veterans have claimed that they sang the British version of the dance and sang the song near the end of the war, years before LaPrise claims to have written it.
The mystery of the Hokey Pokey may never be solved. LaPrise was a World War II veteran, but claimed that he did not learn the song during the war.